Romantic hotels in London

Choosing the most romantic hotels in London was never going to be an easy task. The city is sprawling, the choices unending. But with a little checklist, things became a bit easier. The hotels listed below stand out for a number of reasons – their discretion, their style, the views they afford, their attention to detail and (in some cases) their top-drawer restaurants. In all cases we'd recommend phoning ahead and seeing if you can't wangle a few added extras – rose petals on the bed, chocolates and champers awaiting your arrival. Dim the lights and let the lovin' begin.

Dark, sexy and mysterious are the keywords when it comes to Blakes, one of London's most romantic hotels. We recommend booking into a Director's Double, drawing the curtains on your four-poster bed, and hiding yourselves away for a blissful weekend.Read review

Try the Teresa Cornelys suite, a seventeenth-century penthouse apartment, complete with ornaments eagles spouting water and a sliding roof. If you want to add a bit of kink, try the 'period bathing machine', which shoots random jets at areas of your naked person.

If you're looking for the perfect romantic escape, try the split-level Rook's Nest suite here at Clerkenwell's very own celebrity hideaway. Money may not be able to buy you love, but it'll certainly buy you a night to remember at the Rookery.

The area might not suggest undying romance, but the interior of 40 Winks bears scant resemblance to its surroundings. With only two rooms, intimacy is guaranteed. Can you stand a weekend alone, just the two of you? Test your devotion here.

If your idea of romance includes not leaving the bed, then you'll get on well at the Halkin. Rooms are equipped with bedside gadgetry to control every aspect of your stay, though you'll want to leave bed for dinner – the excellent Nahm restaurant is on the first floor.

Top of our criteria in choosing London's most romantic hotels was a decent view, and few come more spectacular than at the Lancaster London. We recommend asking for the Romance in the City deal – chocs, champagne and rose petals never go amiss.

If eating well is high on your checklist, try the Dorchester. The Grill Room, Alain Ducasse and China Tang all get our seal of approval. Then there's the small matter of the views – waking up with Hyde Park sprawling before you can't hurt.

Cuban and Mexican motifs are the order of the day at the Church Street. There's an olde worlde charm in being tucked up in one of those steel-framed beds; add in the Angels & Gypsies tapas hotel, and you've got yourself a very romantic hotel indeed.

Looking for something a little more sexy? The W Hotel on Leicester Square might be the place for you. Take in a show, hit up a cinema, then make your way back to your luxury room, where you'll find Tenga eggs and mini-vibrators waiting for you in the mini-bar.

Romantic hotels aren't worth their weight in rose petals if they're not serving up a decent breakfast in bed, and San Domenico House, one of London's foremost boutique hotels, serves theirs up with aplomb. Almost worth checking in for the breakie alone.